CRI听力:Yemen Peace Talks to Begin in Geneva

Long-anticipated peace talks on the conflict in Yemen are due to start in Geneva on Monday.

The talks were originally scheduled for last month, but were postponed after the main warring parties failed to agree on the terms of the talks.

The talks are to include representatives of President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government, the Houthi rebels, representatives of former President Saleh who are fighting alongside the Houthis, as well as several other Yemeni political parties involved in the ongoing civil war.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will be attending the talks.

The UN hopes the talks will bring an end to the conflict that has plunged the country into a state of humanitarian catastrophe and killed 2,600 people.

Ahmed Fawzi is the Director of the U.N. information office.

"The idea is to bring them together but if that doesn't happen, the special envoy will hold proximity talks, which means he will shuttle between both groups. There are two rooms, two rooms and he will shuttle between the two rooms throughout the day in the hope that they can be brought together."

Yemen was plunged into turmoil last year After the Shiite Houthi rebels took control of much of the country and drove President Hadi into exile.

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies launched an air offensive in late March on Yemen but have so far failed to defeat the Houthis.